LIVE REVIEW: THE DRUMS & THE UPSKIRTS @ THE METRO, SYDNEY (30.11.2014)

The Drums should be renamed “The Suns” because this sums up their music to a tee. Their reverb and hook-soaked indie pop music was a real treat for the Sydney dwellers battling a case of impending Mondayitis as well as battling Spring-time rain en route to the Metro on Sunday night. After a solid set boasting tracks that were old, new and in between, there were more than a few youngsters wanting to go surfing or do some other fun activity shortly after.

The support for the evening came courtesy of Sydney quartet, The Upskirts. They attracted a good-sized crowd and won the audience over with their brand of dreamy but punchy psychedelic rock music. The highlight of their set was the final track, “Minds A Burden” which saw some Brit-pop inspired guitar pop with psychedelic fringes going off on extended tangents coloured by moon beams and a riff that was not too far removed from Tame Impala’s “Half Full Glass Of Wine”. In short, sublime.

The Drums reminded us that they’re from New York City, not just in sound and spirit but in visual appeal. Lead singer, Jonathan Pierce said they were originally concerned that after being missing from our shores for a few years they would be forgotten. And while it was true that the Metro was only half full, the audience that were there were a devoted and enthusiastic bunch, lapping up the pair’s bouncy pop music.

The boys began their set in almost darkness as they played two new songs, “Bell Laboratories” and “Let Me”. The latter definitely showed a change in the band’s sound as the music had a much deeper and fuller feel. This made for a grand wall of sound built from synths, guitar, bass, drums and the other bleeps and blops they managed to fashion and employ.

“Me & The Moon” was an early favourite with its sharp, catchy synth line and repeated catch-call of “Forever”. The following song, “Days” saw the bass feature too prominently in the mix. This overshadowed what is normally a good and slightly rockier song by the band. Some new numbers followed before “Book Of Stories” was met with cheers after the opening chords were played and this enjoyment only increased with “Best Friend”. The latter is a quintessential Drums’ song that sees an upbeat vibe coupled with dark lyrics and it’s an interesting and youthful combination that helps you forget and drown all of your troubles.

In “Money” Pierce lamented about poverty and had more than a few people relating to his tale. After a while, though, some of the songs did have a tendency to blur into one another. The effect was like a long-lasting, Hawaiian sunset that was thoroughly enjoyable but there were definitely some moments that seemed to coast off and away. The encore was a different story and where some of the best renditions of the evening occurred.

This part of the night was exclusively reserved for The Drums’ older songs. There was the bouncy “Forever & Ever Amen”, the sheer bliss of “Let’s Go Surfing” and the cheekiness of “Saddest Summer”. If we hadn’t felt like we’d bonded earlier than we certainly had by this point. The Drums’ had ultimately produced some toe-tappingly good pop music that shone like a beacon through our collective complaints about modern life.

The Drums’ Sydney set list:
1. Bell Laboratories
2. Let Me
3. Me & The Moon
4. Days
5. I Can’t Pretend
6. Kiss Me Again
7. Book Of Stories
8. Best Friend
9. Money
10. U.S. National Park
11. Book Of Revelation
12. I Need A Doctor
13. I Hope That Time Doesn’t Change Him
14. How It Ended
15. Wild Geese
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16. Forever & Ever Amen
17. Let’s Go Surfing
18. Saddest Summer
19. Down By The Water